Shopify Dev to Hide Draft Products Using Liquid Code

I’m looking for help refining some Shopify Liquid code on my free Dawn theme, that allows me to safely work on draft products in the backend without exposing them to the live site.

I’ve attached:

1. Hiding products.pptx – a visual explanation of the functionality I need
2. Shopify Coding Scope.docx – a full record of previous code changes and theme updates I've made for reference.

Scope:

I’m trying to set up a system where:

1. Products with a “metafield draft_only = 1” should not appear on the live theme or be discoverable via Google, but should still be fully visible and editable in Shopify Theme Editor.

2. I want to be able to preview these draft products (with draft_only = 1) using the Shopify Preview mode — at the moment, this doesn’t work.

3. I also want the ability to create private collections that contain draft products, so I can send hidden links to loyal customers via email. These collections shouldn’t appear on the live site or be indexed by search engines.

4. These changes need to apply across all themes — not just a draft or live theme. Note: I only have 2 working themes currently.

Access for This Project:

Shopify Access
I would plan to give access to Shopify using the Collaborator access option.
Once you request access, I’ll approve only the permissions needed (themes, online store, apps).

GitHub (Optional but preferred)
I’ve been using GitHub to version-control my theme edits. If you’re comfortable working with branches:

• I’ll give you read/write access to the private repo
• You’ll work in a separate branch (e.g. feature/hide-drafts)
• I’ll review your pull request before merging into main

Let me know if you're happy to work this way — it helps me keep everything backed up and transparent.

This is a focused, standalone task. I’m looking to get it completed efficiently and cleanly as a first collaboration.

There’s potential for further work (e.g. theme audits, future tweaks) if things go well. I'm open to discussing scope or suggestions if you feel something needs to be adjusted.

Please feel free to ask any questions before quoting — I’m happy to clarify anything. Thanks!